Solo Sikoa To The WWE Universe: ‘Your OTC Is D-O-N-E’

This time next week, WWE will be in Germany as they gear up for ‘Bash in Berlin,’ which will be headlined by Cody Rhodes, taking on the reluctant challenger Kevin Owens. The show is going to have to further the interest or stakes in that feud for it to move the needle, otherwise, it is just part of the ‘stuff’ in between Bloodline/Roman Reigns segments. The show takes place a week from tomorrow, but tonight’s episode of SmackDown is in Washington, D.C., at the Capital One Center.

The Cody Rhodes Effect

Cody Rhodes was the first segment out the gate as he appeared on the Grayson Waller Effect with co-host Austin Theory alongside the titular host. It was fun even if Waller ruined Cody’s “So, [insert local hometown pop],” and it started to feel like something meant for the middle of the show— ‘crossover hour.’

But the segment went from mid to ‘holly s***’ real quick as the storyline deepened with each barb traded between Waller and Cody. Theory did not say anything, and perhaps for the better, but his presence was vital to escalating the evening’s plot points. Waller jabbed Cody with a ‘tough truth’ that everyone close to him just ends up getting hurt—referencing Cody’s ‘Bash in Berlin’ opponent Kevin Owens. That is when Cody clapped back at Waller and the state of his own relationship with Austin Theory. The team known as A-Town Down Under reached major peaks early in the year, but they have been on a downward trend since losing the tag titles they won at Mania.

However, Waller was prepared to counter as if he fully expected his own relationships would come into question, and that is when he sent it to the leading nominee for ‘video package of the year.’ The theme of the video was all the (truly awesome) times KO turned on his ‘best friends.’ The assumption was that KO could not be trusted and that tracks, considering the nods we have received thus far in a program with a flat start.

The video included one of KO’s greatest segments and the best on RAW in decades to that point: The Festival of Friendship featuring Chris Jericho. The setup came from weeks of their partnership ‘getting over’ on WWE programming and in front of live audiences. It was crazy to see an AEW star showcased like that, but it feels like WWE is giving us the respect of acknowledging our favorite moments when they matter most, regardless of promotional status. KO eventually came out, and the tag match between him and Cody (K.O.-DY?) versus A-Town Down was set for later in the evening after a cheeky exchange with GM Nick Aldis.

Tag Team Main Event

Tag team matches receiving prominent booking/card placement is always a great idea, but this match was better than expected, especially following the last ad break. Waller and Theory hit quality offense, but it never felt out of hand for the faces. The match did little to stoke the feud’s flame, but it was quality. The commentating team promoted the Bash in Berlin card, and KO, with the title in hand, made a sudden and swift move towards Cody before handing him the title and calling the heels back in the ring, following KO hitting the pop-up powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

It hinted at a potential KO turn, but he never faltered in character. There might not be a ton more fans interested in this match after tonight, but those who have bought in already must certainly appreciate the direction and commitment from Creative to elevate beyond simple title feuds for Cody.

The Bloodline Are Freeeeee… Freebirds Following

The Bloodline was scheduled to defend their tag team title belts against Street Profits after they earned the shot last week in action. But before the match, Solo had some points of contention to discuss. Solo Sikoa claimed that the “OTC” is D-O-N-E (done) before announcing he is on deck following Cody-KO.

The items were being listed numerically, and the fans grew frustrated. Solo snapped at the crowd as they chanted for Roman Reigns.“You can chant his name, but he’s not here,” Solo emphatically yelled into the mic as if he were staring down the crowd’s disbelief in him. The crowd reacted by beginning another Roman chant following Solo commanding Jacob Fatu to hand over his portion of the tag title to Tonga Loa, which he did—protecting the leg injury. That is when the crowd got ruthless, going from a “we want Roman” chant to a “you can’t wrestle” chant.

It felt like the entire premise for Solo’s promo was to get over the Bloodline using the “Freebirds Rule,” most recently used by New Day, in which any of the faction members can represent the tag title in competition. If that was the sole reason for the delay in action, then it was unnecessary, as fans are more than familiar with the rule by now and saying it in commentary suffices.

Tag Title Match

The Profits eventually made their way into the match they’d earned, but they were just victims to the Bloodline numbers without Bobby Lashley watching their back these days. The match could have been given more time, and WWE needs to continue the trend they’ve restarted in quality tag team action.

The match never felt authentic and felt marked for buffoonery from the jump. And when DIY came out to help the faces, you got a clearer picture of what this match/segment was meant to get over. Jacob Fatu looks like an unstoppable monster. The segment ended with Corey Graves on commentary asking, “Will we ever see Roman Reigns again?”

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• LA Knight was successful in his title defense against Santos Escobar. The two started a program long ago enough that Escobar became Knight’s side-piece feud while he forced the breaks on the Logan experiment. The match was solid, but it started out from a lame angle with the overbooked Legado Del Fantasma interference—though it was likely to protect Knight. Escobar got a lot of offense in this one, but Knight hit his finisher for the pinfall victory.
• Naomi returned to the “pin-column” after last week’s loss in singles action. She was aided to the pinfall victory by her teammate’s dominant performance, including that of Jade Cargill and her insane power spots. The finish was a bit clunky, but it was great to see Naomi get the nod.
• There was a video package for the “Road to Berlin,” and it was narrated by Natalya. The narrative revolved around the RAW circa ’96, and it was complete with interviews of fans eager to see Bret Hart. The video package showed Owen Hart and even mentioned his name, and this is not something that should be overlooked despite the subject revolving around the Hart Foundation members as a whole and not an Owen-specific piece of content.

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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